Foundation plantings, the plants that are set closest to the house, are
important to the entire look of your home and its relationship to the rest of
the landscaping.
For foundation planting evergreens are widely used not only because they can
thrive in shade, but also because look good all year round. You must use
discretion however, if you have not used evergreens elsewhere. The contrast
could be too sharp and cause the evergreens to look more like a barrier.
In addition there is a wide choice of dwarf fruit trees, flowering shrubs,
roses and cushion chrysanthemums that will lend color to your foundation design
throughout spring, summer and fall. Floribunda roses, flowering quince, Japanese
red-leaf barberry and forsythia are among the bushes and plants that can also be
used.
Though it may be tempting to try one of each of the nursery's evergreen
specimens in foundation plantings, this should, of course, be avoided. On the
other hand, creating a complimentary mix of plants can add great interest and
beauty. You could contrast tall and low-growing types: use stiff-needled pines
with feathery juniper with broad-leafed laurel and rhododendron.
Take time to draw to scale the relationship between your house elevation and
the foundation shrubs and trees as they will look at mature height in your
preliminary planning. You may find that some of the plants you have selected
will be too tall for the house and may obscure your windows making the house
gloomy inside. You can avoid wasting a lot of time having to remove these plants
later on by taking this step at the beginning.
You also want to make sure that larger plants are not planted to close to the
house itself. There must be enough room so that when the root system reaches
it's full extent it is not causing damage to the foundation.
Making the planting in front of the house bowl-shaped in its overall outline
and putting the tallest shrubbery at the corners of your house can give the
impression of a broad base to the house. In some places, you may want to let the
wall show to the foundation.
Because the entrance is typically the most important feature of the front
facade, start your planning with it in mind. Use shrubs that direct the eye
toward the door.
